There are in hospitals, nursing homes and other similar institutions a number of human patients who are incapable of taking nourishment in the conventional fashion. In some instances the patients are in this condition as a result of surgery or injury. In other instances, the patients are unable to take nourishment as a result of old age and/or senility.
In any event, it is sometimes necessary to provide means for providing such patients with nourishment. Typically, the patients are provided nourishment through the naso-gastric passages. In such event a naso-gastric tube is inserted into the patient through the naso-gastric passages. The naso-gastric tube is connected to and communicates with a container or the like which contains nourishment in a liquid form which will be fed to the patient by gravity or pump. The contents of the liquid nourishment may vary from patient to patient depending on the condition and needs of the patient. Thus, while in some instances a standardized liquid formulation may be used, in other instances a special formulation may be desired. Where a standard commercially available formulation is used the feeding container can be filled or replenished at the patient's bedside. On the other hand, where a special formulation is required, it can be mixed or formulated in the kitchen or formulary and placed within the container at that time and then transported to the patient.
In accordance with prior practices numerous types of feeding containers can be used. In one type of prior art practice a flexible bag-like container is employed. While such flexible bag-like containers are satisfactory in many instances they do not provide accurate readings on the amount of liquid nourishment within the bag due to its flexibility. Such bag-like feeding containers can be difficult to store in a space saving manner since the shape is not necessarily consistent with efficient space-saving storage. There is also the possibility of leakage during or after storage.
In other prior art practices rigid members are used as feeding containers. The problem with such prior rigid containers is that they lack versatility and are difficult to stack in large numbers for transport to the place of use such as a hospital or nursing home.